# Feel Young? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 15, 1999, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-young/1686 "1999-07-15T03:54:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 1999, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-young/1686/1 "1999-07-15T03:54:00Z")
Ok, I was going to put this in MPSIMS, but I ended up bitching quite a bit, so here it is in the Pit. Feel free to take offense. šŸ˜‰ Ok, I know Iā€™m only 18, but recently Iā€™ve been feeling like a little kid. All of my friends have grown ā€œresponsibilitiesā€ and my boyfriend Carl (who is 6 years older than me) is constantly bringing up things that happened when I was only 6 or 7 years old. As a matter of fact, yesterday I was hanging out with him, his best friend Chris (10 years older than me), and the best friendā€™s wife Robin (a few months younger than me, but she has a baby). Carl and Chris began to talk about ā€œthe good old daysā€, and suddenly Robin interrupts her husbandā€™s speech about when he was in high school, turns to me and whispers ā€œWe were in the second grade!ā€ Makes me feel a little like Iā€™m dating a pervert. šŸ˜‰ Okay, enough ranting. The real purpose of this thread is that I want to take offense to this list which was posted in the Feel Old? thread. It is not an accurate portrayal of my generation at all. > [@](#): > > 1. The people who are starting college this fall across the nation were born in 1981 > 2. They have no meaningful recollection of the Reagan Era and did not know he had ever been shot. I did too know that, and I even know that it had something to do with a guy who was obsessed with Jodie Foster. Didnā€™t it? > [@](#): > > 1. They were prepubescent when the Persian Gulf War was waged. > 2. Black Monday 1987 is as significant to them as the Great Depression. > 3. There has been only one Pope. They can only really remember one president. I remember three presidents, thank you, and ā€œvotedā€ for two of them in school. > [@](#): > > 1. They were 9 when the Soviet Union broke apart, and do not remember the Cold War. I remember the Berlin Wall coming down, and I fully understood the importance of it at the time. [/Quote] 1. They have never feared a nuclear war. ā€œThe Day Afterā€ is a pill to them, not a movie. 2. They are too young to remember the space shuttle blowing up, and Tiananmen Square means nothing to them. 3. Their lifetime has always included AIDS. 4. They never had a Polio shot, and likely do not know what it is. [/Quote] Polio? Isnā€™t that a game with horses and mallets? I _know_ what polio is!!! > [@](#): > > 1. Bottle caps have not only always been screw off, but have always been > plastic. They have no idea what a pull-top can looks like. > 2. Atari predates them, as do vinyl albums. That is only accurate if you had money. I had an Atari, and I still have vinyl albums. > [@](#): > > 1. The expression ā€œyou sound like a broken recordā€ means nothing to them. So youā€™re saying weā€™re incapable of understanding metaphor because the majority of us did not listen to records? > [@](#): > > 1. They have never owned a record player. > 2. They have likely never played Pac Man and have never heard of Pong. I owned a record player, Iā€™ve played both Pong and Pac Man. > [@](#): > > 1. Star Wars look very fake to them, and the > special effects are pathetic. Not. I just saw Star Wars for the first time this year (although _most_ of my friends had seen it hundreds of times) and I thought the effects were awesome. (The original version, BTW, not the digitally remastered version.) > [@](#): > > 1. There have always been red M&Ms, and blue ones are not new. What do you mean there used to be beige ones? Wrong again. Okay, red ones I didnā€™t know were ā€œnewā€, but I remember beige M&Ms and I remember when the blue ones were introduced. > [@](#): > > 1. They may have heard of an 8-track, but chances are they probably never > have actually seen or heard one. > 2. The Compact Disc was introduced when they were 1 year old. Yet I didnā€™t own a CD player until I was 16. I still prefer tapes. > [@](#): > > 1. As far as they know, stamps have always cost about 32 cents. > (Accurate until recently) Wasnā€™t that only a few years ago? I remember the prices changing when I was in the 6th grade, and again soon after that. Sixth grade is not pre-memory, you know. > [@](#): > > 1. They have always had an answering machine. > 2. Most have never seen a TV set with only 13 channels, nor have they seen a > black-and-white TV. > 3. They have always had cable. > 4. There have always been VCRs, but they have no idea what BETA is. Wrong to all of those. Our first answering machine was a big deal in our house; I remember it. We did have a black-and-white TV and one with 13 channels. I got cable in the 7th grade. And I remember being upset when we got a VHS because I couldnā€™t watch Charlotteā€™s Web anymore. > [@](#): > > 1. They cannot fathom not having a remote control. Because everybody had a remote control beginning in 1981. Yeah, right. > [@](#): > > 1. They were born the year after Walkman were introduced by Sony. > 2. Roller-skating has always meant inline for them. No, inline skates are not the only ones Iā€™ve ever seen. I remember skates before that. > [@](#): > > 1. The Tonight Show has always been with Jay Leno. So youā€™re saying I have no idea who Johnny Carson is, and that Ed McMahon is just the guy from Publisherā€™s Clearinghouse? > [@](#): > > 1. They have no idea when or why Jordache jeans were cool. I think you get the idea. . . > [@](#): > > 1. Popcorn has always been cooked in a microwave. > 2. They have never seen Larry Bird play, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a football player. > 3. They never took a swim and thought about Jaws. Jaws? I remember that movie coming on TV once. I watched it on our little black-and-white 13 channel TV that had no remote. > [@](#): > > 1. The Vietnam War is as ancient history to them as W.W.I, W.W.II, or even the Civil War. > 2. They have no idea that Americans were ever held hostage in Iran. > 3. They canā€™t imagine what hard contact lenses are. I wear hard contact lenses. I canā€™t wear soft contacts because of my cataracts. > [@](#): > > 1. They donā€™t know who Mork was or where he was from. He came from _Happy Days_. > [@](#): > > 1. They never heard the terms: ā€œWhereā€™s the beef?ā€, ā€œIā€™d walk a mile for a Camel,ā€ or ā€œde plane, de plane!ā€ > 2. They do not care who shot J.R. and have no idea who J.R. is. Ok, ok. Who _did_ shoot JR? Iā€™ve been waiting 18 years, I think itā€™s time somebody told me! [quote] 1. The Titanic was found? I thought we always ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 1999, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-young/1686/2 "1999-07-15T05:14:00Z")
But do you remember being able to get a hamburger, fries, and a coke at McDā€™s, AND get change back from your dollar? -Melin (whose children think she had a pet dinosaur) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 1999, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-young/1686/3 "1999-07-15T05:16:00Z")
I read the exact same thing through e-mail and was infuriated by it. I am 20, and I probably have more knowledge about many of the historical events on there than many adults do. I think the whole thing is completely ludicrous. Children of that era do have brains; itā€™s not like they stopped issuing brains in 1980 or something. But Iā€™m glad someone finally addressed that e-mail in a place where people can respond to it because it really pisses me off. It always seems like older generations feel like age has made them much more superior than anyone else. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 1999, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-young/1686/4 "1999-07-15T05:19:00Z")
No, but i remember when you could get a taco at taco bell for .39 instead of the exorbiant .79 cents it goes for nowā€¦ I also remember their 59/79/99 menu, which has now gone the way of the dinosaurā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 1999, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-young/1686/5 "1999-07-15T05:51:00Z")
Savor your youth Cessandra, and donā€™t be afraid to be a little naive. It only serves to enhance your idealism. 7/20/69 - the most significant date of the 20th century. Cess: ā€œWoodstock, right?ā€ Absolutely charming. Donā€™t be upset if we oldsters make fun of your inexperience. In another 30 years youā€™ll be able to make fun of our senility. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 1999, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-young/1686/6 "1999-07-15T05:54:00Z")
In my day, you could ride the trolley to the movies, get popcorn and a drink, and watch two shows, the news and a cartoon, and ride the trolley home, all for $.25! ā€“ My grandparents. Sadly, itā€™s true! * * * The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. ā€“ Henry David Thoreau ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 1999, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-young/1686/7 "1999-07-15T05:58:00Z")
PB, I just saw your post. Damn! Forgot Iā€™d said something that horribly cute and stupid!!! But, actually, I forgot what thread I said it in, and I still donā€™t know what youā€™re referring to. I canā€™t look up a date, and I still wasnā€™t there, so. . . * * * The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. ā€“ Henry David Thoreau ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 1999, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-young/1686/8 "1999-07-15T06:10:00Z")
ā€œThe Eagle has landed!ā€ā€¦and not in the middle of an upstate New York corn field. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 1999, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-young/1686/9 "1999-07-15T06:18:00Z")
Oh, ok! Iā€™m sorry, but if you want to trip someone up, refer to important events just by the date. If they werenā€™t born yet, they just canā€™t get it! I actually thought the landing on the moon was in '72. Sorry šŸ˜‰ * * * The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. ā€“ Henry David Thoreau ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 1999, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-young/1686/10 "1999-07-15T06:45:00Z")
They did land in 1972!..and 1971 and 1970 and 1969ā€¦uhhhā€¦feeling old, againā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 1999, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-young/1686/11 "1999-07-15T06:50:00Z")
I meant I thought that the _first_ one was in '72. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 1999, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-young/1686/12 "1999-07-15T06:55:00Z")
BTW, PapaBear, I donā€™t _want_ to be idealistic. Thereā€™s nothing more horrible than the shattering of a dearly held delusion. I really hate the niave idealism of my peers, and I resent the implication that I am like that. Unfortunatly, I can see the day looming ahead when Iā€™ll realize that I am like that. How horrifying. * * * The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. ā€“ Henry David Thoreau ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 1999, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-young/1686/13 "1999-07-15T08:02:00Z")
Cessandra, Iā€™d love to be more idealistic. The idealistic people ore the ones who are crazy and stupid enough to try to change the system. Iā€™d hate to see what would have happened if MLK or JFK or a bunch of other people had been more cynical ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 1999, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-young/1686/14 "1999-07-15T11:09:00Z")
I feel young whenever my husband hangs out with his new friends, or I go talk to the county VA guy or go to the Quilt Guild meetings. Just remember to put Pampers on me before you put me down for my nap. I thought red M&Mā€™s were discontinued for a while, then re-introduced. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 1999, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-young/1686/15 "1999-07-15T11:20:00Z")
Oh, I grew up in a ā€œprime strike zoneā€ we did nuclear drills, just in case we were not vaporized instantly. Then we watched some scary Brittish movie with an expectant mom and lots of dead sheep in it. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 1999, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-young/1686/16 "1999-07-15T13:31:00Z")
Cassandra, I donā€™t think the list was designed to insult you by making you feel young. It was designed to make me (us) feel old. Maybe the reason that you got steamed about it instead of just laughing it off is the same reason youā€™re dating someone older. > [@](#): > > my boyfriend Carl (who is 6 years older than me) > > his best friend Chris (10 years older than me), and the best friendā€™s wife Robin (a few months younger than me but she has a baby) > > Makes me feel a little like Iā€™m dating a pervert. If the shoe fitsā€¦ * * * ā€œIf you stick your finger in a pie, whatever is in the pie will be on your finger, and whatever is on your finger will be in the pieā€¦unless you wear a rubber gloveā€----some demented old lady ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 1999, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-young/1686/17 "1999-07-15T13:48:00Z")
Not to nit-pick, but _ **Mork from Happy Days?** _ No. Mork was from Ork. He lived with Mindy. * * * ā€œI think it would be a great ideaā€ Mohandas Ghandiā€™s answer when asked what he thought of Western civilization ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 1999, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-young/1686/18 "1999-07-15T14:36:00Z")
Lucky: > [@](#): > > Not to nit-pick, but Mork from Happy Days? No. Mork was from Ork. He lived with Mindy. Then perhaps you shouldnā€™t nit-pick. Because the character of Mork was, indeed, introduced on Happy Days. And now Iā€™m really upset at remembering some of the television I used to watch. Waste Flick Lives! ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 1999, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-young/1686/19 "1999-07-15T18:58:00Z")
> [@](#): > > It always seems like older generations feel like age has made them much more superior than anyone else. Age has taught me that adding to superlatives doesnā€™t add to clarity ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 1999, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-young/1686/20 "1999-07-15T20:21:00Z")
Iā€™m 24, and I read that same list, and I laughed my butt off. I really donā€™t recall anything from the Reagan era aside from a pin a friend had that said ā€œNo More Ronā€ as a pun on ā€œNo Moronā€. I thought it was quite witty at the time. (I was 9, I suppose.) I remember the Berlin Wall coming down, but at the time, I remember thinking ā€œI guess Nostrodamus was right.ā€ _embarrased_ I know polio is a disease, but until recently I couldnā€™t name any of the symptoms. AIDS has been around since I first found out about sex. And Star Wars still looks fake. Even the Phantom Menace looks fake. A friend of mine has a working 8-track. This makes him the epitome of cool. Itā€™s like he owns a working Model T or something. I know more about WWI and WWII than Vietnam, because they get to WWII in History class, but they never have time to cover Vietnam. And not only has there always been MTV, itā€™s hard to remember when it played mostly videos. Lastly, Rockā€™nā€™Roll has always been what our rparents listen to. And ā€œHappy Togetherā€ is just a Golden Grahams commercial. Your Quadell P.S. - Jordache Jeans were cool? Why? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-young/1686.md?page=2)